Railway-mail-exchange device



May 25, 1926. 1,585,698

H. E. SMTH RAILWAY MAIL EXCHANGE DEVICE Filed Sept. 1, 1923 sition.

Patented May 25,

HERBERT E. SMITH, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO SPOKANE MAILEQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF SEOKANE, W'ASEING-TUN.

RAILW AY-MAIL-EXQHAIFGE DEVICE.

Application filed September 1, 1923. Serial No. 660,618.

the-mail car the exchange device is normally carried ahead of the cardoor and held in inoperative position exteriorly oi. and-parallelwith'the side oi the car.

v the utilization of my invention compactly arranged means preferablylocated above the doorway of the car and manually operated from theinterior of the car are provided for sw-mgmg thecrane from itsinoperative position to-catch position, and manually operated.means-accessible from the interior of the car are also utilized as .anemergency means forreturning the crane to loading position from itsoperative position. In carrying out my invention I employ a springdevice whereby the crane is retained in either inoperative or loadingpositions; a

retaining device for holding the crane in operative or projectedposition; a spring device for retracting the crane after operation tothe inoperative position; and means for absorbing the shock of impactinthe. performance of the required functions of the crane.

In the drawings I have illustrated the exchange equipment on arailwayinail car in which two similarly operating devices are employedand adapted. for. selective use depending upon the direction ottravel ofthe car, and in which the parts are combined and arranged according tothe best mode I have thus far devised for the practical application ofthe principles of my. invention.

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional .view through the doorway at one sideof a railway mail ear showing the equipment of the.

invention with thecrane in projected or operative position forsupporting. a mail bag for exchange or delivery or tor-receiving a malbag,

Figure 21s atop-planviewot a portion Figure 3 is a detail perspectiveview of a bracket for supporting and guiding one of the manuallyoperated pull cables.

In Figure 2 two; of the devices are indicated one as A and the other asB, the former being shown in operative position while the car istraveling in the direction of the arrow. said devicebeing located infront of the doorway of the car. The de vice B is shown in retracted orinoperative position. Inasmuch asboth devices are 01 similarconstruction and operated in the same manner, adescription ofthe deviceA will sufiice for setting'forththe invention.

In carrying out my invention I utilize a rotary crane comprising. an.upright shaft 1 journaled in bearings 2 at the exterior of the ear andadjacent the doorway. The shaft is provided with anupper horizontal arm3. having attaching. devices at its free end for the suspension of amail bag or 3OUCl1, and at the lower end ofthe shaft a second arm 4- isprovided with means for retaining the bag in upright position.

F or receiving a bag of mail from the station or trackside device thelower arm is provided with a fork 5 which as shown in Figure 2 is extented, horizontally from the arm 4t, but when the crane is in inoperativeposition this fork may be turned down to vertical position and out ofthe way. For this purpose the arm 4 may be turned in its socket member 4carried by the shaft 1, am the arm fixed with the socket member by useof a pin passed through openings 5 in the socket member and arm.

At the upper end of the shaft is loosely supported a, clutch sleeve 6and below this sleeve isa clutchdevice 7 operated through the, motion oia lever 8 to disengageand uncouplethesleeve from the shaft. A spring 9forming part of the clutch holds the clutch in engagement to retain thecrane ,with its arms parailel withlthe. sides of the car either ininoperative position or in loading position across the doorway of thecar. When the loaded crane is to beswung in itsbearings 2 theclutch is.first" disengaged. to uncouple ,tlie saeeve from thee-heft, and."wlienthe end off a .ijetrac'ting'. spring 12 is connected sald pr1ng;be11ig' anchored .to a:

bracket 13 tired to the car root, and designed to return the crane toinoperative position with the bag supporting arms pointing in thedirection of travel of the car.

For cushioning and absorbing the shock of impact. when the crane isperforming its functions. an air cylinder let is pivotally suspeinledbetween the bracket 13 and the arm 10, the stem 15 of the piston notshown within the cylinder being pivoted at 16 to the arm 10 as shown.

The crane when in operative position is positively held stationarythrough the co action of an extension 17 of the arm 10, said extensionhaving journaled at its free end a roller 18 which is designed to engageand be held by a retaining device 19 attached to the roof of the car andspecifically set forth in my co-pcnding application for Patent Ser. No.660,617, filed September 1, 1923.

For swinging the crane to projected opcrative position as shown inFigures 1 and 2 for the purpose of receiving a mail bag in the fork 5, Iemploy means operable from the interior of the car and comprising a pullcable attached to an arm or fork 20 of the main angular arm 10. A cableor other flexible member 21, having at its free end a handle 22, isattached to'the free end of the fork 2t). and a bracket: .43, which isattach-ed to the roof and clerestory frame of the car, is provided witha swiveled guide pul ey Qt over which the cable passes. The pulley isswiveled in a lug 25 of the bracket, and the cable passes from thepulley down through a perforation or slot 26 at the base of the bracketand thence through the car roof as seen. in Figure 1. An eyelet or guidethimble 27 is also provided in the ceiling of the ear for guiding themovement of the cable. These guide devices 26 and 27 as well as theswiveled pulley 24 are designed to reduce to a minimum the friction andconsequent: wear on the cable as it is manipulated.

The bracket casting around the opening 26 for the cable is provided witha raised portion 26, as seen in Figure 3, which faces to the front ofthe car or in the direction of travel of the car, in order that dust,Cinders, or rain striking at this point will be passed upward andoutward away from the opening 26, causing a slight vacuum behind theupraised lip 26' and creating a current of air to carry the cinders awayfrom the opening 26. By a pull on the handle 22 it will be apparent thatthe crane with its fork may be swung against the tension of the spring12 into the position of Figures 1 and 2 in order that the fork 5 mayreceive a bag or mail pouch. In this position the crane is retained byco-action of the roller 18 and retaining device 19. As the crane isswung to the rear by impact of the received bag, its rotary n otionisabsorbed by the action of the pneumatic device, and the spring 12 holdsthe crane in position for unloading. After unloading, the clutch may bereleased, and the crane pushed outwardly in order that the retractingspring by contraction may pull the crane around to inoperative position.

hleans are also provided for pulling the projected crane back across thedoorway, as in loading position, and for this purpose a retracting cableor flexible member 28, having a handle 29 within the car, is passedthrough a thimble 30 in the ceiling of the car and a con'iplementarythimble 31 in the root of the car, and the outer end of the cable isattached to the arm 11 by means of a link as While the cable 21 inFigure at the right is pulled to its limit within the car, it will beapparent that the cable 28 may be pulled within the car to draw or swingthe crane from its projected position back across the doorway for anypurpose desired or required.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is 1; A railway exchange device including arotary crane, means for absorbing the shock of impact and means formoving said crane to inoperative position, manually operable means forswinging said crane to operative position, and means including membersdetachable under impact on the crane for retaining said crane instationary operative position.

2. A rotary crane supported exterior of a car, a spring device forholding said crane in inoperative position, means operable from theinterior of the car for swinging said crane to operative position, meansincluding members detachable under impact on the crane for temporarilyretaining the crane in operative position, and means for absorb ing theshock of impact from a received mail bag.

A rotary crane exterior of a car, resilient means for retaining saidcrane in inoperative position, a lever arm on the crane and a flexiblecable operable from the interior of the car for swinging the crane toreceiving position, means for temporarily retainin the crane inreceiving position, and means for absorbing the shock of impact.

4. A rotary crane exterior of the car, a retracting spring, a lever armon the crane and a flexible pull member operable from the interior ofthe car for swinging the crane to receiving position, means fortemporarily retaining the crane in receiving position, and a pneumaticshock absorbing device.

5 A rotary crane exterior of a car, a re tracting spring, a forked leverarm on the crane, flexible pull members operable from the interior ofthe car and connected with said forked lever arm for selectively swin mgsaid crane to receiving position. or 10a.

ing position, means for temporarily retaining the crane in receivingposition, and meansfor absorbing the shock of impact.

6. The combination with a rotary crane having a lever arm and supportedexterior of a car, of a pull cable attached to said arm and operablefrom the interior of the car, a supporting bracket having a swiveledpulley for said cable, and said bracket having a cable-opening with araised wall to perform the function of a cinder-shield.

7. The combination in a railway mail exchanging device including arotary crane having lever arms rotatable therewith, of means forswinging the crane to operative position, a pneumatic shock absorbingdevice-connected to one lever arm, means releasable under impact forretaining the crane in operative position, and a retracting springoperatively connected to the other lever arm, said spring tending toresistaccidental displacement of the crane from operative position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HERBERT E. SMITH.

